The Portland Fire Department appears to be showing off its new 1950 American LaFrance fire engine in front of Station 3 at 1425 NW Glisan. The 1913 building is now the home of Touché Restaurant. In fact all the buildings you can see in this photo are still standing.
(City of Portland Archives)
Tags: Emory & Bohm Electric Co., Engine 3, Glass, Historic Photo, PFD, Pihl Transfer, Portland, postaday2011, Station 3, Texaco
June 30, 2011 at 9:46 am
Can some student of fire-truck history out there explain why some fire trucks were built with open-air cabs? This was 1950– cars and trucks had been enclosed for years. Why should firemen have to sit out in the rain?
And where is the radiator for the engine?
June 30, 2011 at 11:00 am
It’s always hard to get the angle just right, but I did my best. You can see the stand for one of the water towers is still there. There’s also the reflection of the Google car in the window. On the side of the firehouse the water pipe still remains although you will have to change the image location. http://is.gd/QIB7Uu
July 1, 2011 at 2:31 pm
@Carter: apparently the cabs were open largely for purposes of visibility – to be able to better size-up(and locate) the fire upon arrival.
http://my.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/open-cab-fire-trucks?id=889755%3ATopic%3A5126612&page=1#comments
July 21, 2011 at 11:40 am
It’s a Fire Truck, not a Fire Engine. There is a difference. Fire Engines carry water, Fire trucks carry ladders